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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29199573">Tender Loving Care</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TransientPokemonMaster/pseuds/TransientPokemonMaster'>TransientPokemonMaster</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Critical Role (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Blood and Injury, Caretaker Yasha, F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, SOFT Beau</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 04:47:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,159</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29199573</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TransientPokemonMaster/pseuds/TransientPokemonMaster</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Forgoing dinner, Beau retired early after the dragon attack to tend to her wounds. After some time passed, Yasha went to check on her and offered her help.</p><p>Or, the caring Beauyasha moments we should have had if Lucien hadn't been a dick until later.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Beauregard Lionett/Yasha</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>211</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Tender Loving Care</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I just wanted these two to have some time alone to care for another between Beau's two near death moments from last Thursday. </p><p>And thank you Corvidaezero for your feedback with writing this! I appreciate your help so much and thank you for putting up with me sending you bits constantly for a week &lt;3 </p><p>So here it is!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sitting down for dinner in the hall of Caleb’s tower, Yasha found her eyes drifting to Beau for what felt like the hundredth time since the fight with the dragon. Her clothes were torn in dozens of places, and blood soaked through the fabric at each point, giving them an almost mottled color where the blood had dried to an inky black. Even so, fresh crimson coated the innermost edges where her wound continually bled and ripped open anew from the exertion of trudging through the thick snows. </p><p>It was easy enough to see that she was exhausted. Most of the rest of their short journey for the day, she had spent wrapping, and rewrapping the worst spots, only for them to bleed through again before they had finally stopped to rest. </p><p>Standing in the doorway, Beau leaned heavily against the frame. She eyed the table for a moment as if deciding between eating or resting. Finally when everyone was seated, and a cat came to Caleb for their food requests, she pointed her thumb over her shoulder. She said to no one in particular, “I’m gonna go clean myself up.” </p><p>Fjord’s attention was the first to be caught. “Do you want us to save you anything, Beau?” </p><p>“Nah. I’ll have the cats get me something.” She halfheartedly waved the thought away and muttered her thanks as she turned to leave. </p><p>For a moment, all of the Mighty Nein’s attention turned toward her. On Caduceus’ face there was a combination of guilt and frustration. He’d expended his healing abilities earlier in the day as they marched. Beau had insisted she was fine after he'd healed her in the battle, and that the other’s needed it more. They had seen her survive plenty of things before without difficulty, and he had offered little argument before seeing to the rest of the group</p><p>Likewise, Jester’s focus had been offensively focused and had little left to give to restore her. Though the worst of her wounds were mostly closed, there were still several more that weren't. None of them had realized how bad Beau was until right before they had stopped. </p><p>Caleb’s eye had been on her for a couple of hours before finally calling for a rest with Lucien. </p><p>Yasha was thankful for his attentive mind, for Beau’s sake. </p><p>Around her, conversations were had, if minimally. Trust between the Mighty Nein and the Tomb Takers had been growing thin, and their cordial attitudes with it. But for the moment, their relations with their temporary allies were far from her thoughts. One thing was on her mind, and it had been since the dragon had fled. </p><p>Over and over again, the image of Beau between Gelidon’s teeth flashed through her mind, and the fear that had gripped Yasha as she’d watched helplessly from the ground. It made her thoughts turn to Zuala and the helplessness she’d felt in knowing her wife would die without Yasha by her side. Knowing that she could have, <em>should</em> have done something for her, haunted her. </p><p>Instead she’d run and left her to die, alone. </p><p>It had felt a proper punishment then, to be forced to watch Beauregard die before her eyes, eaten by a gargantuan beast far above her as she looked on, uselessly. </p><p>Her hand gripped a spoon tightly, and the sharp press of the metal into her palm roused her from her from the cycle of her memories. There was a bowl of stew in front of her, half-eaten, and she wasn’t sure how long it had been there. Looking around, the rest at the table seemed oblivious to her daze, each eating quietly, focused on their meals. </p><p>Yasha released the spoon, letting it rest with a soft <em>clink</em> into the fine porcelain of her bowl. The small noise caught the attention of Fjord across the table from her, and he stared as she rose from her seat, his eyebrow raised in a silent question. </p><p>“I’m going to check on Beau.” Yasha swallowed a bit of what she thought was potato left in her cheek. “See if she’s alright.” </p><p>From further down, Veth looked up. “I can come along if you want?” </p><p>Leaning in across the table, Jester shot her a stern look and said in a reprimanding tone, “Veth, No.” </p><p>Ignoring her, Veth pointed to her arms. “If you recall, I used to bandage myself all of the time. I know something about applying a tight dressing.” </p><p>Shaking her head, Yasha barely glanced at her. “Thank you, Veth. But I think I can handle it.” </p><p>Jester flashed her a thumbs up and a big smile. </p><p>Yasha wanted to check on Beau herself, and Jester knew as much. Moments alone between them had been sparing in recent days. They had both been nervously waiting for their date that never quite seemed to come, and Yasha was all but ready to forgo it, if only to spend a bit of time with her away from everyone else. </p><p>Even if it was only to help her with binding her wounds, Yasha would take it. </p><p>There was another exchange between Jester and Veth, but she wasn’t paying enough attention to hear it as she left the hall. Willing herself up, it only took a moment to find Beau’s room. The door was ajar as she set foot on the landing, and from within she could hear a sharp intake of breath, followed by a growled, “fuck!” </p><p>For a moment, Yasha hesitated outside of the door. Beau was rarely vulnerable in front of the group, and her insistence that she was fine earlier when they arrived was far from abnormal. </p><p>Giving a knock of warning, Yasha gave the door a small push as she asked, "Beau?"</p><p>There was a splash as the door opened, and Beau was pulling a blanket over herself. "Uh- hi." She looked surprised as she pulled the sheet to her shoulders. </p><p>On the table in front of her there was a large bowl of red tinted water, a pile of tattered, bloodied bandages from earlier in the day, and rolls of new clean bandages nearby. Inside the bowl, there was a rag just visible covered in both dark, old blood, and fresher crimson. </p><p>They eyed one another for a moment before Yasha spoke. "I came to see if you needed any help." Her eyes flicked the items on the table again. "You've been gone a while." The more she looked the more blood there seemed to be. Even the blanket began to stain with it in places when it pressed against her, the wounds already beginning to soak it.</p><p>"No that's-" Beau shook her head, "I mean, thank you. But…" she shrugged not quite meeting Yasha's eye. "I've got it."</p><p>"Beau..." Yasha hesitated, worried that she might only irritate her. "You're bleeding through the sheet already." She pointed to the spots beginning to bloom into larger spots of red by the second. </p><p>She looked down, wincing as she did. "Shit." A shaky hand came up to prod at the back of her shoulder and she sucked air through her teeth, suppressing a small groan. "I-it's fine. Really."</p><p>"You know you don't have to pretend to be tough, right?" A small smile crept across Yasha's face. "I already know you're a badass." </p><p>Beau opened her mouth before closing it again, and a small smile tugged at her lips as she glanced away. The expression quickly vanished and her face twitched as she tried to sit up all the way. "Fuck, ow!" She whimpered, "the cuts on my back stuck to the chair." She ground her teeth and banged her fist on the arm, cracking the wood. “Fucking Caleb! His posh bullshit fucking velvet furniture.”</p><p>Yasha walked inside and closed the door, trying to keep a smile off of her face as Beau cursed the wizard. She pulled the rope to summon a cat and one entered almost immediately. </p><p>She knelt in front of it, scratching behind it’s ears, eliciting a small purr from the tiny fey creature. Even as a child in the wastes, she’d loved cats. Or… friendly ones at least. Most were large and dragged people away when they wandered too far from camp on their own. </p><p>While she scratched the cat, Yasha asked, “can you bring me some things?"</p><p>The cat cocked it’s head at her, before nodding in an all too human way. It purred, “prrow,” as if in answer. </p><p>Yasha gave it another scratch behind the ear. “I need boiled water, salt, vinegar, a mortar and pestle, some chamomile and lavender, turmeric root, and a bulb of garlic.” </p><p>The cat huffed, “mrawh,” and turned to run back into it’s tunnels. </p><p>Before it vanished, she called out, “oh! And I need a dessert lily!” </p><p>The cat flicked it’s tail before it vanished into the dark.</p><p>Looking back at Beau, she was staring at Yasha with a peculiar look. It made Yasha want to fidget in place, and she took a deep breath to steady herself against the jitters that Beau’s full attention filled her with. </p><p>“What?” </p><p>Despite her injuries and the exhaustion on her face, Beau smiled. “I just… what’s all of that for?”</p><p>Stepping to the table, Yasha moved the bloodied bowl of water to the far side along with the pile of used bandages. She shrugged, “to soothe your wounds until Caduceus can get to them tomorrow.” Yasha wasn’t much of a healer, but she knew enough to get by. </p><p>Before she could answer, a cat ran out of the tunnels with a small bundle on it’s back and delivered it to Beau’s side. Reaching down she plucked it from the cat’s back with a small, “thanks.” </p><p>While Beau unwrapped her delivery, Yasha wiped the table clean of spilled water and drying blood. For the moment, the distraction was nice, if only to keep herself occupied. As much as she wanted to spend time with Beau, now that she was here, she wasn’t sure what to say. She always got so nervous and in her own head that it was hard to remember how to talk around her sometimes. </p><p>Movement caught her eye and she glanced to see Beau unroll a set of sleeping clothes that almost shimmered in the soft light of the tower. Yasha blinked as she recognized the material from things she had seen the Bright Queen wear. “Are those… <em>silk</em> pajamas?”</p><p>Like a child caught with something they’re not supposed to have, Beau quickly deposited them on the opposite side of the chair and out of sight. “N- well… I mean, I feel like crap and we can get <em>anything</em> we want here so,” she shrugged, “yeah.” She didn’t quite meet Yasha’s eye as she mumbled, “they looked cozy as fuck.”</p><p>Yasha tried to hide the small smile that crept over her face, and she cleared her throat as something suddenly occurred to her. “Where are your clothes?” Try as she might to not imagine it, she couldn’t help but wonder exactly how much Beau wore beneath the sheet that covered her. Her breath became a little shallower as she tried not to think about it. </p><p>Beau waved a hand at the cat’s tunnels, “I asked if I could get all the dragon tooth holes sewn up and... “ she shrugged, “I guess they can do, too?”  </p><p>Fey cats could mend clothes? </p><p>There wasn’t more than a couple of seconds to consider the thought before a scraping sound caught both of their attention, and they looked to see a long basket snaking it’s way out of the tunnels, pushed by two disgruntled looking cats. Once their delivery was a couple of feet from the entrance, they turned and, with a flick of their tails, left quicker than they had entered. </p><p>Going to examine the basket, Yasha nodded to herself as she found all her requests met. She brought the basket to the table and began setting out the items. Finally, she set the basket aside and took a deep breath. For a second, her eye lingered on the pom of blue flowers furthest from Beau’s side of the table. </p><p>She reached for the small basin of boiled water first, mixing salt and a bit of vinegar into it until she was satisfied that they had evenly incorporated. From the corner of her eye, she could see Beau watching her work with a curious look, but she didn’t say a word while Yasha grabbed a fresh roll of bandages and tore a folded bunch of them to soak in the water. </p><p>As it took in the liquid, she glanced at Beau, who suddenly looked across the room when Yasha met her eye. It actually was comforting, knowing she wasn’t alone in her nervousness. For all the confidence Yasha had seen her exude around others, her apprehension softened those sharp edges that were constantly on guard. It was odd, seeing Beau as a nervous, smitten, wreck when Yasha had seen her effortlessly smash a creature’s head in. </p><p>All the same, her palms suddenly felt sweaty as she reached for the stem of the tightly bundled blooms of small blue flowers. </p><p>Even picking it up made her hand quiver and she turned to Beau with a tightlipped smile. She fought the urge to roll her fingers over the stem, knowing it would crush it. “I um… I-I just wanted to- I-I mean-” she let out a nervous breath. “I wanted to give you this." She held the flower out in front of her. "Because it's one of my favorites and…" she smiled nervously, her gaze dropping to the floor between them. "An-And it's pretty and so are you, and lately every time I see blue I think of you and-" </p><p>Yasha scoffed suddenly feeling ashamed for thinking this was a good idea. "Fuck. I'm sorry. This is stupid, it’s going to disappear with the tower," she started to pull her hand back. "And you’re bleeding, and I know that flowers aren't your thing-"</p><p>Before her hand could reach her side, she felt a hand, Beau's hand, close around her fist. "No!" The contact made her breath catch in her throat. </p><p>Looking back from the floor, Beau's face was turning red, and her mouth was hanging open in surprise. </p><p>"I mean, sorry." She let go off Yasha's hand. "It-it's fine. That I'm bleeding, I mean." She gave a rare nervous smile, pulling her hand back to her lap. "I love it. And it is <em>pretty</em>, and," there was a giddy anxiety in her voice as she laughed, "and so are you. I-" She shrugged. "I don't know what the fuck to say. People don't really give me flowers." </p><p>"Well," she held the flower out to Beau again, "here then." </p><p>She <em>loved</em> it? The thought made Yasha suddenly feel light on her feet and she could feel her heart beating like mad in her chest from the simple touch of Beau's hand. </p><p>Plucking the flower from Yasha's hand, Beau brought it close to her chest before bringing it up to give it a small sniff. She smiled, the redness of her face deepening again. "It smells nice." </p><p>"Good." Yasha felt a big stupid grin pulling her cheeks up. "Uh," she forced herself to take a breath, "we should get you cleaned up."</p><p>A comfortable silence settled between them as Yasha set to work with the mortar and pestle. She broke the turmeric root into smaller bits and peeled several garlic cloves before depositing them into the mortar. Whole chamomile and lavender buds followed them.</p><p>As she ground them into a fine paste, Beau asked. "What is that stuff for, anyway?" </p><p>"Well," she nodded to her hands, "the turmeric and garlic help to stop bleeding, and the chamomile and lavender should help to numb the pain so you can get to sleep once we've bandaged you up. You could do it whole," Yasha shrugged, " but they do a better job when they’re ground together into a paste." She gave a small sympathetic wince, "this is going to sting a bit." </p><p>"It's okay. I trust you." There was an easy smile on her face that made Yasha's heart speed up again. </p><p>She knew Beau trusted her to fight at her side, but hearing was something else. "That-that's good." Their eyes meet for a moment before Yasha looked back at her work. "It might not be magic, but it should help for the night."</p><p>"Huh." Beau stared at the table, the look on her face turning to one of curiosity. "Where did you learn all of this?"</p><p>There was a part of Yasha that was scared to talk about her past even in the most mundane, vague sense with anyone. Because letting people that close scared her. Not a lot of people knew it and those that did… Zuala died for getting to know her, for loving her; Molly died for her, trying to rescue her. </p><p>Anyone important to her seemed to die. </p><p>She knew she deserved to share herself with people, and to find comfort in someone she loved. But knowing it didn’t make it any less scary. </p><p>She hesitated as she ground some threads of stubborn turmeric down. “I… I got into a lot of fights with the other kids in my tribe." She said it quietly, "we were always trying to become the best warriors we could be, and so we were always needing to patch ourselves up." Yasha smiled remembering her home almost fondly.</p><p>Almost. </p><p>"That, and it was Xhorhas, so… there were lots of things that tried to kill you if you weren’t careful.” She shrugged, examining her work to make sure the consistency was smooth. “But it was mostly from fighting with those from my tribe." </p><p>She didn’t need to mention that most of it was to the death. </p><p>Until she became Orphan Maker, fighting and violence were what most of her life consisted of. After though…? Well, at least the bits she could remember, they’d been more peaceful. As good as she was with a weapon, she thought she might almost prefer a simpler life, maybe one with less excitement. </p><p>More time for love. </p><p>Maybe. </p><p>There was a softer look on Beau’s face as she looked up, and she smiled when she met Yasha’s eye. “You don’t talk about your past much. You’re full of surprises.” </p><p>Putting down the mortar, Yasha reached for the basin where the bandages were soaking. She ripped a large piece off and folded it in half. “Most of the interesting things about me involve other people getting hurt.” She shrugged, “I’m not so fond of those parts.” </p><p>Nodding in understanding, Beau glanced at the bandages in Yasha’s hand. “You don’t trust me to have cleaned out my wounds?” </p><p>She laughed through her nose. “Not really. It was kind of a mess.” </p><p>“Harsh.” Beau smiled. “Where are we starting?” </p><p>Hesitating, Yasha looked her over, at all the small patches of blood dotting the sheet that covered her. Something in her wasn’t quite ready for her to remove that yet though. "How are your legs?”</p><p>“Uh…” Beau reached to absently scratch the back of her head.  “They’re fine.” She gestured to her torso, “it was mostly the rockin’ bod that got shredded.” </p><p>Yasha looked away to laugh. </p><p>There was a small smile on Beau's face, her tone teasing. “Hey, I thought you said I looked hot on that dragon.”</p><p>Yasha didn’t quite meet her eye. “I did.” She glanced at Beau’s scandalized expression, “and you're right. You <em>do</em> have a rockin’ bod.” </p><p>It was Beau’s turn to glance away as she tried to stifle her growing smile. “I’m not the only one,” she muttered. </p><p>Yasha took another deep breath to ease her racing heart. She couldn’t quite fight the small smile on her face. "Then, let’s get your back so you can be more comfortable.” </p><p>Beau turned in the chair as best she could, and Yasha grabbed a nearby stool to sit on as she worked. She alternated between cleaning out one wound at a time and then applying a bit of the poultice into it. With each application, Beau gave a small grunt, but didn’t say much else. The silence between them was nice, and Yasha was focused on the task at hand too much to hold a proper conversation. </p><p>Working on Beau’s back… touching her at all was distracting. But being so close, her fingers working over the individual, defined, muscles to remove the stray trails of blood… she tried to focus on the blood. Feeling Beau relax into her touch, even as she wiped against the open sores was as comforting as anything she could have said to Yasha. </p><p>It made her realize exactly how much Beau trusted her. </p><p>Sure they’d fought together, had one another’s back to protect their friends against enemies dozens of times. But she’d rarely seen Beau so vulnerable. Usually she was on guard, her muscles tight and ready to strike. Even with their friends, she seemed stiff, her posture rigid, eyes scanning the environment for threats. Her hard tone and cautious nature made her seem cold at even the best of times. </p><p>But this was a different side to her that Yasha rarely got to see. </p><p>It came out in moments around the campfire at night. Late watches, when they guarded their friends, looked at the stars, and talked. </p><p>It came when she was deep in her cups in a tavern and in the small, good-natured smiles behind her glares when she and Caleb bickered. </p><p>Yasha heard it in her voice when she and Fjord were off on their own, too far to make out conversation, but close enough to hear them speak. </p><p>And in those brief times, when she thought no one else was looking, that she would reach back and touch her tattoo, remembering Molly. </p><p>Getting to see a softer side to her now, it reaffirmed for her how Beau felt. And it served to soothe some of the anxiety she felt as she worked to ease her pains. </p><p>It took several bandages, soaking new lengths and ripping pieces at a time to continue washing. Unlike Beau though, she kept the water clean, piling the spent cloth nearby on the table. But, when she finished cleaning and applying the poultice to the last of Beau’s wounds on her back, she finally cleared her throat. “Okay. I’m ready for the next part. Just try not to sit back yet.” </p><p>Turning around, Beau held out her left hand. She'd been hiding it since Yasha had come in, but it hadn't occurred to her that she'd yet to see It. The hand was bandaged even around her fingertips and Beau looked sheepish as she pulled the tightly wrapped bandages from it. Showing it to Yasha, her palm was red and raw, most of the flesh torn away, and there were several patches of exposed muscle.</p><p>The edges of it looked as if Caduceus' magic had at least partially healed it. </p><p>She winced as the last of the bandages came away. “So uh… my hand is really fucked and…” she bared her teeth as she tried to move her fingers. “It fucking sucks.”</p><p>Looking over Beau's injuries, Yasha wasn't sure why they looked as bad as they did. "Why are these so bad? Caduceus healed you."</p><p>Beau shrugged. "I dunno. I mean, he healed me as the dragon clubbed me off of Caleb's paw and…" she rolled her shoulder. "I felt a couple things pop when it did and I think that's where most of it went."</p><p>"How did this happen?" Yasha slid her hand under Beau's, the rough calluses on her knuckles contrasting strangely with the unnatural smoothness of the red eye. </p><p>Much as the appearance of it on Beau's hand scared Yasha, their rough hands coming together made them share a small smile despite it. They'd only held hands a couple of other times, but each one sent small tingles of giddy excitement through her. </p><p>"Well," Beau let her hand relax into Yasha's, "remember when Caleb grabbed me?" </p><p>Yasha nodded. </p><p>"My fucking blood froze to the giant lizard bitch and it ended up ripping me off of it." She made a small popping noise with her lips. "And, off came my skin." She raised her eyebrows as if shrugging.</p><p>Yasha started to gently clean the wound with the soaked bandage. "Why didn't you show me this first?"</p><p>Beau laughed, wincing with every touch. "I mean… I've seen you cleave shit in two, no problem." She shrugged, "I wasn't sure how gentle you'd be and…" her finger twitched as Yasha started on the most exposed portion. Beau sucked air through her teeth as she growled, "and it <em>fucking</em> hurts!" </p><p>Yasha nodded, trying to focus on not hurting her as much as she could. </p><p>Once she was finished cleaning it and began applying the poultice, Beau chuckled. "You know? This really isn’t how I imagined our date going.”</p><p>“I’m fine with this.” Yasha shrugged, making sure to cover the whole wound. "It was getting too built up. Started to feel like too much pressure." </p><p>Beau nodded. "Yeah, a little bit." She let out a contented sigh as her hand began to numb. "This is nice." </p><p>“Well,” Yasha began unrolling a fresh round of bandages, “hopefully it will last long enough to let you get some sleep.” She placed the end of the roll on Beau’s wrist and held it with her thumb to start wrapping her hand. </p><p>“Uh…” Beau laughed. “Yeah, <em>that</em> feels nice. But I…” she hesitated, her voice came out in a rushed mumble. “I meant spending time with you.” </p><p>Yasha’s fingers fumbled the roll of bandages and she nearly dropped them. “Oh!” She chuckled nervously. “Right!” Somehow, t always felt surprising to hear that Beau actually <em>wanted</em> to spend time with her. For as much as Yasha knew how she felt, it still made her heart hammer like crazy. She muttered shyly to Beau’s palm, “I’m glad I’m here with you.”</p><p>She couldn’t quite keep her fingers from shaking as she rolled Beau’s fingers, doing them one at a time before coming back to her palm and doing a single wrap to get to the next one. Once she’d finished her fingers, she wrapped her palm a couple of times before tying it off. </p><p>When she looked back up, she found Beau watching her with a dopey smile. “Thanks.” </p><p>“O-of course.” Yasha took a deep breath, trying to keep her nerves from getting the best of her. </p><p>This was Beau. Why was being alone together so nerve-wracking? More than once, she’d watched Yasha’s back while she peed in a bush, and yet somehow being alone in a room with her felt vulnerable? </p><p>Silently cursing her stupid heart, she offered a shaky smile. “Anything else we should get?”</p><p>Beau’s eyes dropped down to her lap. “Well…” She took a deep breath and let it out as she gestured to her body. “My front side is a little beat up too.” She shrugged, looking back at Yasha. “Caduceus' magic took care of a lot of it, but there’s uh…” She hesitated. </p><p>Yasha’s mouth opened in a silent realization., “Oh! I-I... can let you do this part if you prefer?” </p><p>Beau shook her head, a small smile on her face. “It’s not that. Like I said,” she shrugged, “I trust you.” Her eyes lingered on Yasha’s. “I just… Are <em>you</em> okay doing it?”</p><p>Yasha nodded hesitantly. “Whatever you need, I’m here.” </p><p>“Okay…” Beau took a deep breath. “That’s awesome. Cause uh… I mean there’s only a couple really bad ones but...” She winced. “My left tit is kinda fucked.”</p><p>“Oh.” Yasha blinked. “That uh... That sucks.” </p><p>A smile lit up Beau’s face as she laughed. “Yeah.” She nodded. “Just a little bit.” Opening her arm slightly, she let the sheet fall to just above her breasts before she caught with her arm again.</p><p>For a moment as the sheet fell, Yasha’s mind had gone blank. Her eyes had flicked down before she realized what she was doing and immediately tried to focus back in on Beau’s face. There was a big grin on her face when Yasha looked back. </p><p>It didn’t go anywhere as she said, “we can start with this first.” Beau pointed to her collarbone. </p><p>Rolling her eyes, Yasha tried to hide the smile on her face as her heart hammered. There was a large cut below Beau’s clavicle and several smaller wounds that looked mostly scabbed over thanks to Cad. </p><p>As she started to clean Beau’s injury, Yasha heard her take and release a deep breath. </p><p>“Hey, uh… can I… I kinda need to apologize for something.”</p><p>Yasha shook her head, still focused on the wound. “For what?”</p><p>Sucking air through her teeth, Beau started, looking uncomfortable. “Back in Zadash. In the bathhouse when we all first got there…” she sighed, “I made sure I was the last one out so that I could check you out.” She could see her fingers start to fidget in her lap. “And I’m a fucking asshole and made you carry me a lot when I was fine. And- and for all the times that I flirted with you when you were mourning…?” </p><p>“Beau.” Yasha said her name quietly, but firm enough to stop before she could go further. Looking up, she stopped dabbing at the wound to find the monk not meeting her eyes. Yasha reached out, her hand hesitating before touching two fingers to her chin. She applied the lightest pressure, nudging Beau’s head to look at her, and she followed without hesitation. There was genuine unease and guilt written on her face. </p><p>“It’s okay. You didn’t know.” Yasha shrugged. “It was kind of nice to be wanted by someone, even if I wasn’t ready.” She laughed softly, “But I’d have told you if I was uncomfortable.” She glanced away, slightly embarrassed to admit the truth. “ And... honestly? If you had left the water before me, I’d have done the same.” Yasha watched the expression on her face begin to shift slightly, and she smiled.</p><p>A small smirk appeared first, and it quickly reached her eyes, her eyebrow raising suggestively. “Well, you’ve got the chance now.” A bit of her confidence returned to her expression and Yasha could see a dozen flirtatious comments floating through her mind. But for once, she didn’t voice them. </p><p>The clavicle was quick to clean up, and between her and Beau, they were able to quickly wrap it along with a couple of the large wounds near her shoulder blades. </p><p>Fortunately there were fewer wounds on the front of her torso than the back once she’d been healed. Yasha had seen that much with how heavily the front of her winter clothing had been shredded. Large splotches of blood covered most of her chest and stomach where they were still whole, and tattered gaps showed through to the skin beneath, whether partially or fully healed. </p><p>Even so, there were three larger wounds bleeding through the sheet that needed tending. One on her side, another diagonally down her stomach, and then a wide slice through her left breast.</p><p>They exchanged a look for a moment, and Beau had a small, almost coy smile as she dropped the sheet into her lap. </p><p>With a deep breath, Yasha stepped from the stool and lowered herself to kneel on the floor in front of her. Yasha was so nervous, she didn’t notice her hand brush the nipple of Beau’s right breast until after it had happened, and she could feel the blood rush to her face immediately.. At the sudden contact, Beau took and held a deep breath, her eyes traveling to the ceiling above them, her teeth tugging at her lower lip with a small smile. </p><p>Yasha’s eyes widened, “I’m sorry! Are… are you okay?” Why did she ask <em>that</em>? The nerves she’d been working to shake off were back again. </p><p>Beau only nodded, a small, “mhmm,” humming in throat as she stared at the ceiling. </p><p>It dawned on her a moment later. “I’ll uh… I-I’ll get back to…” She looked back at Beau’s chest, “uh… work.” </p><p>Yasha could hear the smirk in her voice as Beau said, “sorry my tits are such a task.”</p><p>Rolling her eyes, she moved her hand to Beau’s left breast, her breath shallow. She gently cupped the outside of it and shifted the tissue to get a better look at the open parts of the wound. Her fingers hovered on the outer edges of the darker flesh of Beau’s nipple, especially aware of where they sat after the first slip. </p><p>It occurred to her that this position didn’t offer much of a chance to clear her mind with Beau’s right breast hovering on the edge of her vision, but she did her best to ignore <em>that</em>. She took a deep breath and let it out quickly hoping to steady herself. </p><p>Looking at it from this angle, the wound really didn’t look so bad. Yasha was far from a healer like Caduceus, but even her ability to heal a small wound should take care of most of the damage. Maybe even all of it. </p><p>She pivoted her hand slightly, her fingers circling the edge of Beau’s nipple as she covered the bloodied portion with her palm. </p><p>Above her, Beau winced, sucking air in through her teeth before exhaling a shaky breath. “You’re sending me some mixed fucking signals.” </p><p>“Sorry! Sorry…” The way she healed, the power was new, but it also felt like it had somehow always been a part of her, just outside of her awareness. Reaching for it felt as easy as moving her fingers. There was a gentleness to it, and a warmth that almost felt like summer sun in her chest. “I think…” </p><p>Yasha bit her lip, letting that warmth flow up her arm and out of her palm. There was a soft glow beneath her hand, and she could see the edges of the slashed flesh begin to close itself.  It only took a moment for the energy to be expended and the place where it existed in her felt a little colder. </p><p>“Oh…” Beau breathed the word on a small gasp. “Wow. That- That feels a lot better.” </p><p>Moving her hand to rest just below her breast, there was only a small pink line to mark where the wound had been. “Good.” Yasha looked up to find Beau’s eyes fixed on her. She smiled hesitantly, and Yasha returned it. A part of herself thought this might be an angle she could get used to, with Beau looking expectantly at her like that. </p><p>She took an even breath and looked away trying to turn her mind back to the task at hand, rather than where she wanted it to wander. Instead, the spot her eyes landed made her freeze.</p><p>There was a jagged scar nearly a foot in length. It was only slightly off-center from Beau’s sternum, running diagonally along the lower half of her right breast. A blurred flash of memory shot through her mind as she looked at it.</p><p>
  <i>There was vicious anger that fueled her, but beneath it,  a deep sense of fear and anguish. She could feel tears on her face as her blood pumped hard in her ears, and her hand held a tight grip on the handle of the Skingorger. Beneath her, Beau stared up with wide, terrified eyes. Her fingers twitched on either side of the blade that pierced her chest, pinning her into the floor. Yasha sneered, satisfied that she would die, and ripped the blade from her body, lengthening the wound and sending a spray of blood into the air as it left.</i>
</p><p>It only lasted a moment. </p><p>She moved to touch the scar, her finger running gently over it's length as the memory played again and again. </p><p>Above her, Beau gasped. "Yasha, I-I <em>really</em> don't have the energy to-to" she stopped, and Yasha could see her looking at the spot her fingers ran over. "Oh..." </p><p>"Beau…" Yasha had known there must have been a scar. How could there not have been? But she'd never seen it before, and Beau had always jokingly played it off. Seeing it though… It was worse than she’d thought. </p><p>That scar represented so much of Yasha's fear and doubt, and try as she might, it brought back the fear that she could just as easily be the person who had inflicted it again. Sure, she was strong physically, but what good was that when she could so easily be made into a weapon to hurt those she cared for? </p><p>To come so close to killing someone she cared for as much as she did Beau? </p><p>“Hey,” Beau spoke softly. "Yasha, look at me." </p><p>She felt Beau's hand cup her cheek, her fingers resting just under Yasha's jaw. They gave a small nudge, and she followed them back up to where Beau looked down at her. </p><p>"That wasn't you." She reminded her. "You would never do that if you had a choice."</p><p>She couldn't quite bring herself to meet Beau's gaze. Her voice barely rose above a whisper, "I’ve almost killed you twice now." </p><p>“Twice?” Her brow knitted in confusion.</p><p>Yasha quirked her eyebrow back at Beau. “Did you forget I threw a sword at you today?” She sighed, “the same sword I almost killed you with before.”</p><p>Beau laughed. “You threw it at the dragon.”</p><p>“And I nearly hit you instead." She should have been fine by now, but the same fear she’d been running from for years still nagged at her. “I’m worried I’m going to get you killed too.” </p><p>Beau shook her head, her thumb absently brushing Yasha’s cheek. "Look…" there was a slight tremor to her voice as she spoke. "I-I know I'm not the best with… you know. Words? But, uh- I know what I've learned." </p><p>Beau glanced away for a moment before looking back at Yasha. "Without the Nein…" her free hand covered the top of Yasha's, where it still lingered over her scar. "Without you? Fuck knows where I'd be." She shrugged, "drunken bar fights with farmers who looked at me funny, probably." </p><p>A small laugh forced it's way from Yasha despite herself.</p><p>"We're a bunch of royal fuck-ups, but we've done incredible things together, and we've done a <em>lot</em> of good." Beau opened her mouth to continue but stopped, a slight wince crossing her face.</p><p>"Okay, well… we've <em>mostly</em> done good." Beau shrugged, a growing smirk on her face. "We've done some fucked up shit too. Like that weird pirate stint? I mean, don't get me wrong, that was dope! But uh…" she cleared her throat, trying to hide the small grin that wouldn't quite leave her face. "Growing pains or whatever, right?"</p><p>Yasha chewed on the inside of her cheek. There was an instinct to run and not look back. The same one that had driven her to leave the Nein time and again. But, no matter how many times she tried, she always seemed to find her way back to them. </p><p>The Storm Lord had guided her toward the things she needed and helped her find the path back to be someone better than she was. Maybe… maybe Beau was part of that path? </p><p>Gods knew she wanted her to be.</p><p>Yasha felt the corners of her mouth pull up in a small smile. "What should I do then?" </p><p>“Trust yourself, the same way we trust you.” Beau shrugged, “there’s really not much else you <em>can</em> do.” She gave Yasha’s hand a small reassuring squeeze. “I almost let my fears take me away because I was fucking terrified to lose you. All of you.” A small smile crept onto her face. “I don’t want fear to drive you away from me because…” she took a deep breath, “I fucking care about you a lot. And, if you’ll let me, I want to take care of you and… and <em>love</em> you. The way you deserve to be loved.”</p><p>Yasha’s breath caught in her throat, and she could feel tears bead in the corners of her eyes as her lips pulled into a wide smile. She nodded as Beau wiped at the moisture by her eye. “Okay,” she said quietly. </p><p>Their eyes met and for a long moment, neither of them moved. Yasha felt like there was a bubble in her chest about to burst, but it was comfortable. It was like all the nerves, all the anxiety, and all the anticipation of being with Beau were there, in that one spot. </p><p>But for once, it didn't scare her. </p><p>Finally, Beau's eyes closed, and she started to lean forward before she winced, sucking air through her teeth, and Yasha froze as Beau breathed a small laugh. "Fucking dragon," she muttered. She let her forehead fall to gently rest against Yasha's. </p><p>Her eyes closed and she let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. The hand she'd had over Beau's scar reached into her hair, her fingers wrapping behind her head and held her there. </p><p>It was a moment she wasn't ready to let go of. </p><p>Much as she wanted to kiss Beau, this moment felt like something they needed. Just enough to bridge the gap, but not so far as to leap into something. It was a gentle, more intimate step on a road they both wanted to travel, but neither was sure how to walk. </p><p>In that moment though, the fears that still lingered in the back of her mind quieted, and she knew they would figure it out. </p><p>Together.</p><p>…</p>
<hr/><p>…</p><p>
  <em>In the hours of the early morning...</em>
</p><p>
  Wrenching the door to Beau’s room open, Jester opened her mouth to yell, only to stop at the sight on the bed across the room. Despite the urgency, a small smile tugged at her cheeks. Yasha was sitting against the wall asleep with her cheek on Beau’s head, which rested against Yasha’s chest. Their legs splayed out in front of them, and Yasha’s arms were wrapped around Beau’s stomach, their fingers intertwined as they slept. 
</p><p>
  “Oh my gosh!” Jester let out a small squeal of excitement. It was happening! And honestly, could it have taken them longer? Fjord had kissed her twice already and these two were just getting to cuddling? 
</p><p>
  The thought was quickly followed by a wave of jealousy when she wondered when that stupid green-skinned hunk was going to hold her like that. 
</p><p>
  Jester pushed the thought aside and ran forward, giving their shoulders a small shake. She hissed their names in an urgent whisper. “Beau! Yasha!”
</p><p>
  Beau grunted and swatted at her as Yasha cracked her bleary eyes. 
</p><p>
  Jester growled, “get up! Now! The fucking Tomb Takers are gone with our bag of holding!”
</p><p>
  There was a frustrated groan from Beau and she growled, “fucking-"
</p><p>
  She and Yasha finished the thought together as they roused themselves from sleep, “bitches!”
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I was originally going to have the ending be different, but I kinda wrote myself into a corner with where Beau and Yasha ended up and so Jester had to come in and sum up where I'd wanted it to go :P I hope y'all enjoyed it! I spent far too long trying to write this x.x</p><p>Thank you again, corvidaezero! You're a doll &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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